1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a support platform removably disposed in overlying relation to an open compartment or cockpit area on a boat or like marine craft which is capable of supporting the weight of one or more persons thereon.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Certain modern day boats or like marine craft frequently include a hull design and structure comprising open compartments or "cockpit" areas which are provided to generally increase seating capacity or are utilized for other design and operational purposes. Boats or marine craft of this type are known as "open fisherman" and/or "bowrider" wherein the latter design the open cockpit area is located generally in the bow portion of the boat.
The increased popularity of such hull designs for these types of marine craft have presented the problem of conveniently and efficiently covering such open cockpit areas when such is desired and when the open cockpits are not in use.
The following U.S. Patents represent prior art designs which have attempted to provide some type of canopy, covering or like structure to overly the open cockpit areas for the reasons set forth above. More specifically, the U.S. Pat. No. to Yost, 4,092,754, discloses a boat interior and cabin design having a front open cockpit area which is covered in one preferred embodiment by flexible material soft top cover connected about peripheral portions thereof to the marine craft through the use of a plurality of snap-type fasteners. In another embodiment of the Yost patent, the cover or canopy is made from a somewhat harder rigid material having depending side walls and windows integrally formed therein. The connection of the harder type cover occurs over the open cockpit area in much the same way as the previous soft cover design. While the Yost canopy and/or cover is capable of its intended function, neither are specifically designed or capable or providing an adequate support platform which is substantially planer in configuration thereby not detracting from the intended lines and overall design of the marine craft.
The patent to Wills, U.S. Pat. No. 4,922,849, similarly discloses a bow cover for covering an open portion of the bow in an open-bow boat which includes a raised interior portion and a flared portion therearound with an inwardly directed opening through each. Wills provides a cover arrangement being fastenable to the interior portion and extending over the passageway to the bow of the boat. Again, while assumed to be operable for its intended function, Wills does not show a structure which is capable of being used primarily as a support platform to allow one or more people to be supported thereon whether in an upright position or a reclining position such as when sunbathing.
In other areas, basic soft or flexible material covers are of course well known to cover open compartment areas in vehicles. This is evidenced by the U.S. Pat. No. to Belk, 3,727,972. The Belk patent is directed to a cover to overlie the open bed of a pick-up truck or like vehicle. The cover includes a flexible sheet provided along its periphery with a plurality of openings to receiving complementary located and headed buttons secured about the periphery of the vehicle bed. The cover includes an elongated retainer embedded in the sheet periphery so as to extend along the sheet openings in position to underlie the button heads and thereby secure the cover in the desired, covering position. The Belk structure is designed merely to prevent access to the interior of the open bed of the truck-like vehicle and is not designed to provide any type of support platform of sufficient structural integrity to allow one or more people to be supported thereon.
Accordingly, there is an obvious need in the marine craft industry for a support platform having the structural integrity to support one or more people over an open cockpit or compartment area of a boat or like marine craft. Such a preferred structure should be capable of not only adequately overlying and covering the interior of the open cockpit but should have other favorable features such as easy attachment and detachment of the cover/support platform from its intended, operative position. Such a preferred structure should be formed of a material which may be inherently flexible but which is recognized as a high strength material, such as but not limited to tightly woven polypropylene, which when brought into a tensioned operative position overlying the aforementioned cockpit area, assumes a substantially rigid, planer configuration clearly capable of supporting more than one person in either an upright or reclined position.